Rams expect growing pains to pay off

Nov. 14, 2012

Colorado State's Donnel Alexander, shown here against San Jose State earlier this year, is one of many young guns playing significant roles for the Rams. He is the team's leading rusher with 417 yards. / Associated Press

Youth movement

CSU’s football team might be 3-7, but there is plenty of young talent and that’s helping keep spirits high in the midst of a disappointing season under first-year coach Jim McElwain.

The starting quarterback and leading rusher are redshirt freshmen, the top two receivers are sophomores and the top three scorers are sophomores or redshirt freshmen.

Same goes for the CSU defense, where three of the top four tacklers and the team leaders in sacks, tackles for a loss and pass breakups are either sophomores or redshirt freshmen.

The Rams have seven sophomores and four redshirt freshmen listed as starters on the depth chart for Saturday’s game at Boise State (8-2, 5-1) and seven others listed as the backups at their respective positions. A hypothetical two-deep depth chart of sophomores and freshmen has players who have played in games at that position this season starting at every spot on the field other than two positions on the offensive line.

“That makes me feel really good, because I know when we become juniors and seniors we’re going to be a hard football team to stop,” said Charles Lovett, a sophomore and the Rams’ leading receiver with 30 catches for 396 yards and two touchdowns. “We’re going to have so much experience under our belt, so much coaching — great coaching from good people and good coaches.”

Right behind Lovett on the Rams’ receiving list is tight end Kivon Cartwright, a sophomore who has 26 catches for 310 yards and three receiving touchdowns (he also has one rushing TD).

The player throwing them the ball this week is Conner Smith, a redshirt freshman who has completed 57 of 89 passes for 715 yards and three touchdowns, with five interceptions, in the four games he’s played. He’ll be battling sophomore Garrett Grayson, the starter for the final three games in 2011 and the first six games this fall, for the starting job next spring.

And the Rams can’t go wrong either way, Lovett said, noting that they’ll push each other every day. Grayson, who has played just one quarter since breaking his left (non-throwing) collarbone in a Sept. 29 loss at Air Force, has completed 78 of 138 passes for 946 yards and seven touchdowns, with three interceptions.

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Donnell Alexander, a redshirt freshman, has run for 114 and 139 yards and three touchdowns the past three games since moving ahead of junior Chris Nwoke as the Rams’ top running back. Alexander, who like Nwoke has been slowed by a sprained ankle for much of the season, now leads the team with 417 rushing yards on 73 carries — an average of 5.7 yards a carry.

Although the majority of the Rams’ starters on the offensive line are juniors and seniors, sophomore Ty Sambrailo has started all 10 games — two at tackle and eight at guard. Last week, sophomore Mason Myers, a backup center, came in to play guard for the rest of the game after a season-ending injury to junior tackle Jared Biard.

The youth movement has been even more significant on CSU’s defense. Five sophomores, including leading tackler Aaron Davis, are in the starting lineup this week, along with two redshirt freshmen. Linebacker Max Morgan, the third-leading tackler, is a sophomore, and safety Trent Matthews, fourth on the team in tackles and the team leader in pass breakups with 10, is a redshirt freshman. Linebacker Cory James, the team leader in sacks with 10, also is a redshirt freshman.

Kicker Jared Roberts, who has made 8 of 9 field goals and leads the team in scoring with 48 points, is a sophomore, and the second- and third-leading scorers are Cartwright (24 points) and Alexander (18).

“Getting experience is really big,” said Davis, a linebacker. “All these young guys — Joe Hansley, Kevin Davis before he got hurt, Jason Oden — they’re all stepping up. Some of us sophomores are getting good experience, too, so down the years we’ll be good.”

McElwain says the personnel decisions he’s making are ones he believes give his team the best chance to win games this season. But it doesn’t hurt that many of the players who are rising to the top will be around for another few years.

“I don’t think you can put a number value figure on that,” McElwain said. “I think the biggest thing is now they’re playing valuable minutes. … It’s really good to see, and yet they’ve got a long way to go and a lot to learn.

“But it’s good to see what they’re doing on a daily basis on the practice field, what they’re doing in the classroom and what they’re doing even outside of football. I’m just really proud of what we’re building.”